Tag Archives: Hurricane Season

Just one week after a devastating tornado storm rips through Norman and Moore, OK, killing 24 and causing an estimated $2B in property damage, US cities now face another natural hazard, hurricanes.

June 1st is the official start of the 6-month hurricane season. For 2013, NOAA’s Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook suggests a 70% likelihood of 13 to 20 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which 7 to 11 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 3 to 6 major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5; winds of 111 mph or higher).

Hurricanes can cause catastrophic damage to coastlines and several hundred miles inland. Hurricanes can produce winds exceeding 155 miles per hour as well as tornadoes and mircrobursts. Additionally, hurricanes can create storm surges along the coast and cause extensive damage from heavy rainfall. Floods and flying debris from the excessive winds are often the deadly and destructive results of these weather events.

“As we saw first-hand with Sandy, it’s important to remember that tropical storm and hurricane impacts are not limited to the coastline. Strong winds, torrential rain, flooding, and tornadoes often threaten inland areas far from where the storm first makes landfall,” said Kathryn Sullivan, Ph.D., NOAA acting administrator.

Individuals who live in communities at high risk of being affected by a hurricane should consider flood insurance protection. Flood insurance is the only way to financially protect your property or business from flood damage.

To learn more about your flooding risk and how to protect yourself and your business, visit the Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration (NFIP) Web site, www.floodsmart.gov or call 1-800-427-2419.

This “Hurricane Sandy” Facebook page is an information clearinghouse for accurate, timely information related to Hurricane Sandy and subsequent recovery efforts. Since Facebook has changed the way pages shows up in news feeds. If you want every update, you must:

1) Go to the “Hurricane Sandy” page.
2) Hover your mouse over where it says “LIKED” and click on “Add to Interests Lists”

If you do this, you will receive ALL of the posts and the Hurricane Sandy page will not be “removed” by Facebook from what shows up in your feed.

There are six weeks left in the 2012 hurricane season, which officially ends on November 30. Yesterday, Tropical Storm Rafael was upgraded to the 17th named Atlantic hurricane. While the main peak of the Atlantic hurricane season comes in August and September, a smaller, secondary peak hits in the middle two weeks of October,according to the Capital Weather Gang blog.

The hurricane is about 250 miles (400 kilometers) south of Bermuda and heading to the north-northeast. The storm is expected to pass to the east of the island later today; its center will be far enough away that Bermuda will likely only see the tropical storm-force winds at the edge of the storm, and a tropical storm warning is in effect for the island.

Rafael could bring rains of 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) to Bermuda and will likely cause dangerous surf conditions there and along some parts of the U.S. East Coast, according to the NHC.